A Much Needed Break
by TheLadyRikku
Summary: Pan takes a break from college to train with Vegeta. Trunks is happy to have his best friend back, but he soon finds that the little girl he once knew is gone and a beautiful young woman is taking her place. Will Trunks get more than he bargained for this summer? My first fan fiction. Rated T for the most part, Chapter 13 is rated M!
1. At First Sight

This is my first fan fiction, something I've been thinking about for a while. I love writing this kind of stuff but I'm not the best, so please bear with me!

Please R&R! Thanks!

* * *

It was a Friday night at his parent's house. Bulma and Videl were throwing a summer party for the whole crew, and for their daughters coming home from college. Trunks smiled, 'it will be nice to see Pan again', thinking of his best female friend. He couldn't remember exactly when he saw her last. His sister, on the other hand, could stay away from home all she liked.

Trunks walked around, socializing with old friends. He chatted with Krillin and 18 for a while, then Yamcha and Gohan.

'Where was Pan?' he thought, looking around. 'Oh well, it's still early.' He was about to turn and walk away when I voice caught his attention.

"Well geez, Trunks. You could at least say hi to me!"

Trunks turned around to see perhaps the most beautiful girl he'd laid eyes on.

"Pan!?"

"Well, duh!"

"Wow, you look great!"

She blushed. "You think..?"

"Yeah, I didn't even recognize you… you've grown up so much."

In the 4 years since he had seen her, she really had matured. She was much taller, standing level with his shoulders. Her hair was up in a bun, but he could tell it reached at least to her waist. She wore a simple cream colored sundress. He had never seen her so….girly, yet it fit her.

"Yeah I guess I have." Pan smiled, " I've been hearing that from everyone. I have to admit, I feel a little awkward in this dress."

"Nah, don't be. You look beautiful."

Pan blushed again and gave him a playful shove. "Don't kid me!"

"Hey, I'm serious."

Pan gave him the big Son grin. "Hey, I'm gonna go find Bulla and Marron, but we should catch up later. I feel like we haven't talked in ages."

It was true; they had only spoken to each other about once a month since Pan had left for college. They had been practically inseparable since the Grand Tour, but they had both just been so busy with their own lives.

After Goku left, Pan felt like a big part of her just went missing. Luckily, she had plenty of support from Trunks, her parents, and friends. She managed to catch up in school and even graduate early - she definitely had Gohan's brains. Her parents urged her to go to college and she got by pretty well. Her recent year, however, was pretty stressful and she needed a break. With Bulma's help, she managed to talk her parents into letting her come home for a year and train with Vegeta.

It was dark when Pan finally managed to get away from the girls.

"Well what have you been up to?" Trunks asked

"Not a lot, I'm just so glad I'm home."

"That bad?"

Pan grinned. "No, not really. I just miss being able to be myself. You know, sparring and all those things."

She was silent for a moment, and then continued.

"I hate having to hide who I am. Even when I try to control myself, people know I'm different." She bit her lip slightly, "I can't even find a guy who doesn't think I'm a freak, plus they pretty much only want one thing."

'I don't think you are.' Trunks thought, but instead said, "I'm so sorry Pan. Is that why you left?"

"Aw come on, I'm not a little girl. I won't let something like that destroy my life." She knew part of that was a lie. "No, I was just stressed. You know what that does to me; I just wanna beat up things!"

"Spoken like a true Saiyan!" They both started to laugh.

"Well aren't they hitting it off?" said Bulma She was glad to see her son laughing, it was something he didn't do enough. Vegeta just scoffed at her, but then smirked. "Maybe he'll finally settle down with a real woman."

Bulma just grinned at her husband. "Oh, a 'real' woman? How so?"

"Oh, shut your mouth, woman. You know what I mean."

"So what about you? I'm sure there are plenty of girls waiting in line for you." Pan gave him a wink.

"Nah, I guess I'm in the same boat you are. Plenty of girls are interested, but they really only care about my money or my looks."

"I guess now I'm sorry…"

"Don't be, eventually someone will come around."

"Well good!" Pan said. 'What the hell did I say that for?'

Trunks looked up at her. Without skipping a beat she said, "I don't have to fight anyone for my best friend."


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed! I can't believe the amount of positive feedback for this story. :) Thank you so much.

It was brought to my attention that I wasn't really clear on how old Pan and Trunks were. Pan is 20 years old in this story, so that makes Trunks 34.

* * *

"Pannnn!" Pan looked at the direction her father was calling from. "Over here!" she waved.

"Your mother and I are heading home, are you going to stay here?"

Bulma came rushing over before Pan could answer. "Oh I would love for her to stay! I'm always so bored with just the boys in the house." She winked at Pan.

'What is she doing?' Trunks thought

"I guess that's my answer, daddy."

She said goodbye to her parents and then was promptly pulled into the house by Bulla.

"Come on Pan, let's watch a movie….you're watching too Trunks, I know you don't have to work tomorrow."

Scary movies didn't bother Pan, Kami knows she's seen her fair share of frightening things, but they always made her jumpy. There was several times where she ended halfway onto Trunks' lap. He relentlessly teased her for it, which led to heated arguments and play fighting. Bulla just laughed at their antics, knowing their relationship hadn't changed a bit…or had it? She could see that Pan was completely flustered with Trunks as usual, and he in turn had his usual smirk on his face, but there was something different that Bulla couldn't quite put her finger on.

When the movie was over, Bulla announced she was going to bed. They said their goodnights and Bulla bounded up the stairs. Trunks was about to follow when Pan spoke up.

"Um, Trunks? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He turned to look at Pan.

"Yeah, what's up?"

Pan turned towards him, pulling her one leg up onto the couch.

"I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?"

"Well, for talking to me about all the stuff that has been going on. I guess I thought that I was feeling better than I actually was. It really helped that you listened."

Trunks took her hand and gave it a quick squeeze.

"Of course, Pan. You know I'm here if you need me."

He leaned over to give her a hug, but after a moment she rested her forehead on his collarbone.

"Thank you Trunks" she whispered, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Trunks smiled and rested his chin on Pan's head. He knew Pan constantly had trouble adjusting to a "normal" life, he had too.

"Everything will be ok, Panna." He gave her a kiss on the forehead and went to bed.

Pan was blushing at what had just happened. It wasn't as if they hadn't hugged before or given each other kisses on the cheek and the forehead. Now she suddenly found herself wondering how much better his lips would feel on hers.

Her eyes snapped open the instant she thought it. She shook her head, confused as to why she would think that.

'Yeah right, as if that would happen…besides, you're his best friend, he only thinks of you as a sister.' She laughed at herself as she walked towards the guest bedroom.


	3. Early Morning

Updating with a really quick and cute chapter! Enjoy!

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Pan woke just as the sun was creeping over the horizon. She had a restless night's sleep, confused about her sudden feelings towards a certain lavender-haired man. Sure, she had a crush on him when she was younger, but that was just a kid thing. She looked up to and adored him.

Pan frowned. 'I wonder if he still thinks of me as just a kid…'

She was quite proud of how she looked, not vain but she knew she was pretty. Unfortunately, this meant a lot of attention from the boys at school. She wasn't even able to keep a boyfriend for more than a few months because they were only interested in her body, and were freaked out by her strength.

She decided to take a shower since she wasn't about to fall asleep again. Besides, it was only a few hours until she had to train with Vegeta.

The hot shower helped to soothe her wandering mind. She was excited to get away from the stress of school and to get better at what she really loved to do – fight. After realizing she was daydreaming again, she hurried up and finished up her shower.

Pan opened the bathroom door only to run into someone.

"Oh, sorry!" she said before stopping in her tracks, blushing madly. She had run into a half-asleep and shirtless Trunks.

"P-pan? What are you doing up?" He stammered, blushing. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen her in a towel before and it practically covers more of her than her training gear, but he was thoroughly embarrassed seeing her this way…and kind of…aroused? Her body was slightly dewy from the water and her long wet hair cascaded down her bare back and shoulders perfectly.

'Trunks Briefs! What the hell are you thinking? She's been your best friends since…forever. '

"Oh, I just couldn't fall back asleep…I'm sorry if I woke you!" Pan said, worried.

"Nah, don't worry about it…I didn't sleep too well either."

The pair swiftly walked to their original destinations, both thinking 'I need to get out of here!'


	4. Day One

Hello again everyone!

Sorry for the long wait for an update. I've recently gotten a full time job and it's taking a lot out of me. I've also been battling writers block...anyways, here's another chapter. Enjoy! R&R appreciated!

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Pan had finished dressing and was sitting on her bed, brushing her hair, when there was a knock on her door. She opened it to find a now fully dressed Trunks.

"Hey, since we're both up…do you want breakfast?" He asked, scratching the back of his head.

Pan's stomach growled in response, she was a Son after all.

"Heh…I guess so!"

Pan had just finished her breakfast when Vegeta came down the stairs.

"Well, runt…you ready?"

"You bet!" Pan squealed as she jumped out of her chair and ran outside, nearly running the Saiyan prince down.

"She's enthusiastic, as usual." Trunks said. He turned to walk away, but was quickly stopped by Vegeta's hand on the back of his neck.

"And just where do you think you're going, son?"

Trunks let out a loud sigh as Vegeta drug him out of the house for training.

Pan had obviously been practicing while she was away. She easily kept up with Trunks at the beginning of training. Sparring with Vegeta was a different story. He may have settled down over the years but he certainly had enough fight left in him to kick both of his students' asses. Pan and Trunks were both thoroughly wiped out by the end of the day.

The days went by much the same with Pan steadily improving. Vegeta began to grow quite confident in Pan's abilities, everyday pushing her harder and harder to do her best. He found that she had Goku's fighting spirit, and felt a bit of nostalgia run through him. He was quite happy to have someone to compete with after all these years, though he would never outwardly say it.

It wasn't long before Vegeta noticed a change in Pan's ki. It wouldn't be much longer until she became powerful enough to transform into a Super Saiyan. He knew the signs but lacked the final push for Pan to transform.

A realization clicked into his mind and he gave a wicked grin.


	5. Motivation

Woah, another chapter done! Thanks once again for the reviews!

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It was 5 am when Vegeta drug his son out of bed.

"Dad? What the hell?"

"You're training with me this morning!"

"This early?" Trunks whined

"Yes, this early! Don't be a brat. Besides, I need to talk to you before Pan gets up."

"Ummm, ok?"

They sparred for about an hour before Trunks finally questioned his father.

"So, what do you need to talk to me about without Pan hearing?"

Vegeta propped himself up against the side of the house and let out a sigh.

"She's gotten strong enough to become Super Saiyan."

"But…?"

"She lacks…motivation."

Trunks looked at his father questionably.

"And how does that involve me?"

Vegeta chuckled. He knew something was going on with Pan in relation to Trunks but also knew his son was just oblivious enough to not notice.

"She looks up to you, boy. Perhaps you could…fluster her into transforming."

"I don't like the sound of this…are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure! Stop questioning me and do it" Vegeta sputtered as he gave Trunks a swift kick in the backside.

Trunks fell on his face. He was about to protest again when he sat up to see Pan laughing at him.

"Hey you two! What's up with letting me sleep in?"

"I was just getting some extra training in with my slacker of a son! He will be sparring with you today."

Pan looked over at Trunks, he just shrugged.

'Oh Kami, I'm gonna regret this' was all Trunks could think.

Pan and Trunks faced off, positioning themselves in fighting stances. She grinned before launching herself straight at him. Trunks quickly dodged, flipping over her. Anticipating it, she spun around and elbowed him in the stomach.

'Ow! She's quicker than she used to be…and a lot stronger.'

She really was stronger, every punch and kick almost matched his. Of course, he wasn't Super Saiyan at that moment, but he didn't have much of a desire to mess her up.

'Not with that body.' He thought idly, only to be almost punched square in the face. He was able to dodge at the last second.

"Gotta be faster than that!" He teased, although her movements were mostly quick and graceful. She looked almost like she was dancing at times.

Pan whipped around to plant a kick in his face, but Trunks grabbed her leg and flipped her over his shoulder.

Vegeta scowled. 'Come on kid, you're just messing with her.'

Pan teleported in front of Trunks. She went straight for him, but at the last second she flipped herself over and grabbed Trunks by the neck from behind.

Though surprised by the maneuver, Trunks was on guard. He reached over his head, grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her back over his shoulders. He then locked her arms behind her back.

"Aww, come on Pan." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Grrr….let me go!" Pan struggled.

"After all this time, still not stronger than me, huh kiddo?"

"I'm not a kid!" She yelled angrily.

"Let…me…GO!"

The next thing Trunks knew he was lying in a hole in the ground, looking up at a Super Saiyan Pan.


	6. Beaten by a Girl

Trunks stared up at Pan in amazement. She was absolutely beautiful with her now blonde hair and blue green eyes. And then those eyes locked with his.

"Oh my gosh, what did I do?!" Pan screeched as she flew down to him.

"It's ok Pan, I'm fine." He would have said more but the two were interrupted by Vegeta, who was laughing his ass off."

"Dear Kami, you got leveled by a girl!" Trunks was beginning to wonder if tears would stream down his father's face.

"But, what…." Pan started but then looked down. She had just noticed her hair was blonde.

"I'M A SUPER SAIYAN?!" She screamed again, at the top of her lungs.

"Yes yes, woman you are" said Vegeta calmly, "and you should be proud, you are the only female to achieve it."

"I am?" She asked, completely bewildered.

"Well, to the best of my knowledge. Goku was the first Saiyan to transform in over a thousand years."

"Well how do I turn back?"

Trunks and Vegeta just looked at her.

"You already have." they said together

Pan looked back down at her hair.

"Wha-?"

"You seem to already have great control over your transformation, interesting." Vegeta said, irritated.

"Um, I'm sorry?" Pan said

"Oh don't be! He's just miffed because it took him such a long time to become a Super Saiyan!" Bulma appeared out of nowhere, practically shouted at the young girl.

"What was that, woman?" Vegeta yelled

"You heard me!" His wife yelled back

Pan and Trunks just stared at the two and slowly backed away into the house.

"Hey, Pan. I wanted to say I'm sorry for what I said." Trunks said as they sat down on the couch.

"You've gotten very strong, I'm proud of you."

Pan blushed.

"It's ok. I just got so frustrated, though I guess that was the point huh?"

"Ohh, so you caught on to that?"

"Well, kinda after the fact. I just don't want to be thought of as a child anymore, especially by you."

Trunks looked at her.

"Oh?"

'Why did you say that Pan? He's known you since you were a child! You'll always just be a little girl to him.' There's no way she could tell him, he'd only laugh and reject her.

"W-well, you know…you're my best friend and you always pick on me!" She huffed, "there's only so much a girl can take!"

"Ok, ok!" Trunks laughed

Their conversation was cut off by Vegeta and Bulma storming into the house.

"You better have dinner ready!"

"Oh, and if I don't?"

Trunks sighed and put his head in his hands.


	7. Masaru

New chapter! I wanna give a shout out to dianaloveanime for the idea for the coming chapter(s). It helped me out of my writers block a bit. This chapter is a bit boring, but it will get more interesting soon.

As always, thanks so much for the R&Rs! 3

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The next day, Pan announced she was home to spend some time with her parents. Secretly she was hoping that she would be able to get her mind off of Trunks, feeling that she had gone way too far with what she said the night before. She was entirely convinced that Trunks wanted nothing to do with her that way.

She spent the next two weeks catching up with her parents and grandmother and going out with Bulla and Marron. She would return to Capsule Corps occasionally to train with Vegeta and Trunks but kept it at that. She felt lonely away from her best friend, but thought it was for the best until she could get those 'feelings' out of her head.

Her parents had noticed she was acting a bit strange, not wanting to stay over with the Briefs, but decided to go against asking. Videl and Gohan both knew how temperamental teenagers could be.

One morning she was out with Bulla at a café.

"Hey Pan!" came a familiar voice from behind her.

"Masaru, what are you doing here?" Pan said

"I'm in the city on vacation with some of my friends."

Bulla looked at Pan and grinned.

"Well, are you going to introduce me?"

"Oh, sorry! Bulla, this Masaru. We go to school together."

"Ohhh, I see….OW!"

Pan had stomped on Bulla's foot.

"It's not like that!" Pan hissed quietly, "besides, I like Tr—" She cut herself off quickly.

"You like who?" Bulla asked, confused.

"Something wrong?" butted in Masaru.

Both the girls turned around quickly

"Oh, nothing!" Pan said with nervous laughter

Bulla shot a look at her best friend.

'Was she gonna say what I thought she was? No, there's no way.' Bulla laughed and dismissed the thought.

The girls ate their lunch at the café, allowing time for Pan and Masaru to catch up.

"Everything's been going well at school, when are you coming back?" Masaru said

"Next year, I just need some time off." said Pan, glancing at Bulla nervously.

"Oh, that's too bad. I guess we won't be graduating together."

The classmates spoke some more before Bulla and Pan had to leave.

"See ya around Masaru!"

Bulla glanced at Pan.

"Sooo, he was nice. He seems to have the hots for you."

"Whaat? No way, we're just friends. Besides, he was dating some girl a year younger than us."

"Well, you never know." Bulla said before dragging Pan off to go shopping.

'Yeah, you never know…" Pan thought


	8. Jealousy

"Mom, dad, Trunks! I'm home!"

"You were out late, sweetie." Bulma said, giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek

"What are you talking about? She's always out late." Trunks said

Bulla glared at her big brother, but went over to give him a hug anyways.

"Oh, you know…I spent the day with Pan."

Trunks perked up at the mention of the quarter Saiyan.

"We went out to lunch at that new café and we ran into one of her friends from school. We all talked for a little too long. He seemed to miss her being at school."

Trunks choked on his drink.

"Geez, Trunks. You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm…fine." he said. Vegeta just laughed in the background.

Bulma and Bulla looked at the two.

"Anyways….his name's Masaru. I can't remember his surname but he's the brother of Pan's friend Nanako."

Nanako was one of Pan's best friends and the only one to know about Pan and her family.

Now Trunks was in a sour mood, but he tried to talk himself out of it.

'He's just a friend Trunks, no need to get defensive….what am I even getting upset about? Why am I even feeling this way? It's not like Pan's love life is any of my business.'

Trunks tried get a hold of her, but never got an answer.

"Ugh…maybe I am just overreacting."

He went to bed, but couldn't get Pan out of his mind.

Pan didn't show up the next day for training, so Trunks was stuck with his father. That evening he tried to text her.

_'Hey, everything ok?'_

_'Yeah, I'm fine.'_

_'Ok…just wondering. You didn't show up for training'_

_'I'm ok, I just don't feel too good.'_

After a few days of Pan skipping training, Trunks knew something was up. Pan was mostly human, but she had a Saiyan's immune system. He decided to track her down.

"Mom! I'm going out, don't bother to wait for me at dinner." Trunks yelled as he flew out the door.

"Ok, sweetie! Love ya!" Bulma yelled back

When he landed at Videl and Gohan's house, there was no one there. He walked out back and heard Pan talking to someone. It was Masaru. Before he could say anything, Masaru leaned over and kissed Pan.

Every emotion was surging through Trunks at the moment - fear, anger, sadness, pain. He took off as fast as he could back to Capsule Corps, trying not to look back. He slammed his door hard enough to practically shake the house.

* * *

Pan couldn't believe what was happening. They had just been talking, still catching up on school and how Nanako was doing. Then he just, kissed her. It felt, ok…just like any other time.

Then all she could think about was Trunks.

'This….no, this isn't right!'

Pan pushed Masaru away, probably a little too hard.

"What's wrong?" He asked, surprised.

"I just…can't. I'm sorry" she replied.

"Let me guess…there's someone else?"

"I don't know, it's…complicated."

"Ok….."

"He's my best friend and I've known him for forever….."

"Ohhh, ouch."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I shouldn't have pushed you. "

"Still friends?" she asked, timidly.

"Yeah, still friends. Besides, can you imagine Nana's face if we were dating!"

She laughed, feeling better than she had in the past few days. Now, however, she still had her 'issue' with Trunks to figure out.

"Maybe, I just need to go with it." Pan said to herself.


	9. Everything Has Changed

Now I've finally got to this chapter! Yay!

* * *

Trunks let out a loud sigh.

"What's wrong with you, boy?" He looked up to see his father.

"What? Nothing."

"Right…."

Trunks sighed. "It's Pan. She been avoiding me for some reason."

He lied, partially, not wanting his father to know the truth.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow.

"Well you better stop moping and come train. I'm not about to let you get soft again."

"Who's moping?" Trunks asked

"Oh I wonder…" Vegeta said sarcastically. "You! You've been distracted over the brat."

"Well, sorry I'm worried about!" Trunks retorted.

Vegeta looked his son dead in the eye. "That's not what I meant."

Trunks looked at his father. "What the hell are you talking about then?"

Vegeta snorted. "You idiot, you've done nothing but talk about her since she's returned… don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at her. You obviously find her physically attractive. If you want her so badly, just go get her!"

Trunks was shocked.

"Whattt? You already knew? Besides, I've known her since she was a baby, not to mention I'm over 10 years older than her!"

"What's that got to do with anything? You're just using it as a pathetic human excuse. It's about time you stop fawning over her and make her your mate." Vegeta turned and stormed outside, muttering something about stupid human women.

Trunks was blushing madly…. 'M-mate? There's no way I could be that way with her!" But no matter how hard he thought against it, something felt like it was true.

"Maybe, I just need to go with it."

The next morning, Pan landed at Capsule Corps. She paced around in the yard, thinking of what to say.

"Pan?"

"Um…hi Trunks…"

Trunks looked at her sternly.

"You've been avoiding me."

"Yeah, Trunks…I'm sorry about that."

"Was it Masaru? Is he not letting you talk to me?" Trunks blurted out.

"Masaru? What does he have anything to do with it?" Pan asked, thoroughly confused.

Trunks looked embarrassed.

"Well, I came looking for you and I saw you guys kissing. I had no idea you two were together. I thought maybe he wasn't letting you talk to other guys."

"Trunks, we're not together. I told him I didn't feel that way for him."

"Oh, well, is it something I did? Please tell me!"

Pan turned around, her eyebrows now upturned.

"Why would you think it's something you did?" She asked.

"Because you've been avoiding me constantly"

Pan walked up to him. "You…it's not your fault, Trunks."

"I just couldn't think of anything else….I never want to see you so sad and angry again, not after what happened after Goku left. I couldn't bear it!"

Pan looked at him quizzically. "Couldn't bear it? Why?"

"Because I—" He couldn't get the rest of the words out before there was a crash from the house.


	10. Mind Games

It came from the lab.

"Mom!?" screamed Trunks from the entrance.

"It's ok! Everything's ok!" Bulma shouted

She limped out, supported by Vegeta, who had already rushed to his wife's aide.

Pan and Trunks sat Bulma down while Vegeta went to get medical supplies.

"Damn it! I said I'm all right!" Bulma kept saying as Trunks examined her leg.

"Well, it's not broken…"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

"So, what happened?" interjected Pan

Bulma looked exasperated.

"I'm not entirely sure. I was working on a machine and…."

She stopped speaking suddenly and had a blank look on her face. Her hands flew up to her head as if she were in pain.

"Bulma? What's wrong?" asked Pan.

"D-don't you hear that?"

She had a frightened look on her face.

"Why is it dark?"

Trunks looked at Pan.

"Stay with her, I'm going to find dad."

"Vegeta? Vegeta!?" wailed Bulma, panicking.

"Bulma, it's ok! Nothing's wrong!"

It wasn't helping. Bulma was scared at something that wasn't there.

Vegeta burst through the door

"You two! Out!"

Pan and Trunks ran out without any hesitation.

"Bulma, I'm here." whispered Vegeta

"I can't see anything. What's going on?"

"I don't know, but just stay calm. Nothing's going to hurt you while I'm here."

Bulma looked at him with sudden clarity.

"It's gone…."

'What the hell?' thought Vegeta, hugging his wife closely.

Pan and Trunks were waiting outside still, both extremely worried.

"It was like she wasn't mentally there. She was so scared." Pan said, then she went silent.

She looked around.

"What's up?" asked Trunks

"I just thought I heard something…."

'Must be nothing' she thought.

But there it was again.

"Ok, I swear I heard someone saying my name." Pan said

Then she couldn't stop hearing it. Everyone's voices were in her head.

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and put her hand over her ears.

"Pan!"

Trunks caught her as she fell to her knees.

"They wont be quiet!" she yelled

She heard the voices of her parents, Goku, Trunks, everyone….

_'Go outside and play'_

_"It's too dangerous for a little kid'_

_'You're just a kid'_

"I am not!"

_'Worthless'_

_'He'll never notice you!'_

_'You're all alone"_

_'Weak!'_

"What the hell is going on?" yelled Trunks

"It's fear!" came his fathers voice from behind him.

"Whatever is going on is playing on peoples fear, there doesn't seem to be any real danger!"

"Listen, Pan! It all in your mind!" Vegeta shook her, but she just couldn't snap out of it.

Trunks took her by the shoulders…"Come on Pan, you can do it."

"All I can hear is are voices!" She cried, squeezing her eyes tighter

_'You will never be accepted, never be loved!'_

She repeated the things the voices were saying.

"Pan! Don't listen to them!"

"Everyone loves you, you bring cheer to all of us." Trunks rested his forehead on hers. "Your parents, my mom, Bulla, even dad! We all love you! I…I love you!"

It was like the world was silent. Pan's eyes snapped open to look at him. They were blue.

She exploded into a Super Saiyan, knocking back Trunks.

"Get…out….of…my….head!" She screamed


	11. Truth Be Told

Phew! Turns out I had this chapter 90% done already! I should have another one soon!

Enjoy!

* * *

A dark shadow flew out of her body and began manifesting in a twisted and gnarled, but humanoid figure. Pan whipped around angrily, her eyes glowing. Her power level shot up, making the ground quake. Two balls of ki glowed at her hands. She thrust them together and shot a massive energy blast at the creature. The blast seemed to go right through it, but then the figure dissipated.

Pan's hair faded back to black. She panted heavily and then her eyes rolled back into her head. Vegeta caught her before she hit the ground.

Trunks ran for her, but out of the corner of his eye he spotted a cloaked figure on a building in the distance. He blinked and it was gone.

'Maybe it was nothing.' He thought

He ran to Pan and his father. Pan was alright, just completely worn out. Vegeta carried her into the house. Before Trunks walked in, he shot another glance across the city.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Trunks, there really was someone there. The cloaked figure scowled at the city below him.

"Damn it all! I had no idea she was that strong! No matter, it was only a test."

He jumped off of his perch and disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

Trunks sat by Pan's bedside, dozing off. Bulma had been in and out of the room fussing over her, so he agreed to keep an eye on her. Of course, he did want to watch over her.

Pan stirred, causing him to jolt awake.

"Where…" she started, looking around.

"Hey, how you feeling?" Trunks asked

"Trunks! What…what happened?"

"Relax, Pan. Take it easy."

She sat back against her pillows.

"What do you remember?"

"I remember being angry and just losing it, but that's all."

"Well, that's about it," he chuckled, "you let loose massive amounts of energy, knocked yourself out."

"What was that….thing?"

Trunks looked serious.

"We don't know. It was almost like it wasn't real. It just…disappeared." He left the part about seeing a figure in the city out.

"Well, whatever it was, it's gone right? I was so scared when it was in my head." She said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Yeah, it's gone."

"Well, you need to get some more rest…you look beat." He sat up.

"Wait, Trunks…" She said quietly. "Did you mean it, when you said you loved me?"

"Of course I do Pan, you know that" Trunks said, putting his hand on top of hers.

She sighed. "Don't play games with me. You know what I mean."

Trunks sighed, pulled his hand away from hers and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Yes Pan, I meant it. I know it might be wrong thinking of you that way, I've known you since you were born. …You're not the child I went off across the universe or played around with on the weekends. You're a mature, beautiful woman and I just can't help but feel this way towards you. I'm sorry that I had to put this on you…I know it wouldn't work. "

He started to get up, but she grabbed his arm and said, "Why not?"

He took a double take at her.

"What did you sa–"

That was all he could get out before Pan grabbed him by the shirt and crushed her lips against his.


	12. Chapter 12

This chapter gets a tad bit on the mature side, but nothing major!

* * *

Trunks was so shocked that he couldn't move. Pan pulled away, giving a hurt look.

"I'm sorry! I thought…"

Then he pulled her in for another kiss, able to act this time. He pulled away and rested his forehead on hers.

She went to speak, but he put his finger over her lips.

"Rest. I'll be here." he said softly.

She woke later that evening. She could hear Bulma downstairs cooking dinner.

She wandered over to Trunks' room, but he wasn't there. She sat down on his bed and got lost in thought again.

'Was that a dream?' She thought, 'No, it wasn't…I can't believe it, all this time I kept it a secret and he feels the same for me. How is this possible?'

"Pan?"

She looked up, startled, and then turned beet red. Trunks was standing there, fresh out of the shower, with nothing but a towel. Before she could say anything, he sat down beside her and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. Her heart sped up instantly.

"How are you feeling?" Trunks asked as he got up again and walked into his closet. Her eyes trailed him every step of the way.

"I'm…alright."

"You sure, you still sound kind of tired."

He emerged with a pair of shorts and a beater on. They were typical clothes she had seen him in, but she blushed slightly at his exposed, muscular arms. All she could think about at that moment was being held in them.

She stood up and walked over to him, getting on tip toes to kiss him. He returned the kiss lightly, but Pan then wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body tight to his. He wrapped his arms around her too, but pulled away slightly after a moment.

"Pan…"

Her eyes shot open when she realized what she was doing.

"Oh…I'm sorry" she said, pulling away quickly. She got dizzy and stumbled, but Trunks caught her before she hit the ground.

"I don't think you're as fine as you thought you were." he chuckled, pulling her close to him again.

She started to apologize again but Trunks just rolled his eyes.

"Take it easy, Pan. It's ok."

"I don't know why I did that." She said

"Right…." was all he could say

"Trunks! Dinner! Wake up Pan, too!" Bulma yelled up the stairs.

Trunks sighed at his mother's impeccable timing.

"Ok, mom!" He looked over at Pan.

"Come on, let's go eat."

After dinner, all Pan could think about was what had happened earlier that night. Pan had had her fair share of boyfriends, and it wasn't as if she hadn't done those sorts of things with them, but she never felt particularly comfortable in getting into very sexual situations before; it never felt right to her. At times she thought there was something wrong with her because of it, but now with Trunks, it felt different.

She yawned, still very tired from her earlier ordeal. She was about to crawl into bed when there was a knock on her door. It was Trunks.

"Hey, I was um…wondering…"

"Yeah….?"

"Well, do you wanna spend the night in my room with me?"

Pan hesitated, but she knew her answer. 'Of course I want to, stupid!'

"Yeah, sure." was what came out instead.

They lay in bed together, talking about all the things that had happened when she was away.

"I'm sorry, I keep rambling." He pulled her close.

"I just can't believe what's happened, and I'm afraid to mess it up….go too fast or too slow. Every other girl I've just gone with, but you - you're different…I don't want to lose you."

Pan blushed madly.

"I know what you mean. I thought it would be different…more awkward somehow, but it's as easy as breathing."

The situation they were in, physically was not really new to her. They had slept together before, in a non-sexual way of course. Things were different, but the closeness was surprisingly not as unnerving as she thought. It was just them. Together. Almost like any other time.

"I'm just afraid of what people will say about some things." she confessed

Trunks raised an eyebrow.

"About our age difference?"

"Yeah, and well, you're president of Capsule Corps. You get a lot of press. Who knows what they'll say about us."

"Let's just take it one step at a time." He said, before kissing her.

Pan smiled. He was being a gentleman, unlike a lot of boys she'd been with before. He wasn't trying to move too fast or try to put his hands all over her right away.

They continued to talk through the night, eventually falling asleep in each other's arms.

Pan woke up early the next morning, cold from working her way out of Trunks' grasp. She cuddled in close to him.

"Good morning." She heard him say

"Hi" she said with a smile, her face still buried in his neck.

He suddenly pulled her face up and kissed her hard on the lips. He ran his hand up her leg, testing how far she was comfortable with. He didn't want to push it. He was anxious at moving too fast. Sure, they skirted around each other for weeks, but they had only confessed their feelings yesterday.

His face grew hot as she pulled her leg up over his and let his hand wander up to her lower back.

'Well, here we go.' He thought. He ran his hand across her stomach and up over her breasts. She shuddered at the contact, but pressed herself closer to him. Trunks lowered his hands to her hips and hooked his finger under the waistband of her panties when she pulled away.

"Going too fast?" he asked

"No, not really. It's…just…" Pan sighed

"Just what?"

Pan's face was red. She scrunched up her hands in her night dress, and then took a deep breath.

"Trunks….I'm, well, still a virgin."


	13. First Time

Ok, so this chapter is rated M! But to be fair, only part of it. I will give you warning and you can skip over it you want.

Enjoy!

* * *

Trunks looked at her, dumbfounded.

"Oh, well…that's a new one. I'm sorry, I just assumed you weren't."

Pan was thoroughly embarrassed by her lack of 'experience'.

"Yeah, I know. It's not like I haven't done…stuff with other guys, I just never felt right with sex until now. Things feel so different with you Trunks."

Trunks' instincts took over. He pulled her in for a passionate kiss, and then practically ripped her night dress off of her. He threw her down against the bed, but then regained his composure.

He sighed

"Pan, I'm sorry…I kind of lost control. That's no way to treat you for your first time."

She blushed but then gave him a sly smile.

"I didn't mind."

"….oh."

Trunks sat up, taking the sight of Pan's body in. Everything about her was perfect to him. Her creamy white skin sharply contrasted with her jet black hair that fell over her shoulders and down around her waist. She was thin, but muscular, unlike the dainty girls he had been with before. Trunks appreciated this, he wouldn't feel like he would break Pan.

A flush of pink fell over her cheeks as he looked at her. Pan almost wanted to cover herself up, but she couldn't move a muscle, nor did she want to. Trunks leaned back in, planting kisses down her body. He pulled off her underwear and looked up at her.

"You sure you wanna go through with this?" He asked

Pan just nodded at him

He slid back up to her level and placed his hand on her cheek. She gave a small smile at him.

"Nervous?"

"Yes" she said quietly.

"Well…I hope you know it's probably gonna hurt, even for you."

Pan chuckled.

"Yeah, I think I know that much."

"Well sorrrr-ry….just thought I should say something." Trunks said while planting small kisses on her collarbone. She shivered at the touch.

Trunks sat up and removed his boxers. Pan's eyes grew wide.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing…just nerves"

'Oh dear Kami, what have I gotten myself into?'

* * *

Ok, here starts the steamy-ness! You've been warned!

Trunks positioned himself over her again.

"Ready?" he asked again.

"Geez, do I have to say it anymore? Yes, I am."

Trunks kissed her hard on the lips as he pushed into her. Pan cringed and dug her nails into his back, but barely made a sound.

Pan gasped as their bodies made full contact.

"I'm sorry Panna" he whispered

"No, I'm alright" she answered, placing her hands on the back of his head and neck, pulling him in for another passionate kiss.

When she pulled away, Trunks could see the passion in her eyes. She gasped and moaned with each thrust, arching her back and hips to match his every movement.

Pan had never felt so amazing. She wanted to yell, scream his name at the top of her lungs. But she knew Vegeta and Bulma were just down the hall.

Of course, neither Pan or Trunks anticipated the spikes in their ki had already informed Vegeta of their…activities.

Vegeta opened one eye.

"Damned kids" he muttered, rolling over. He pulled his own mate close to him and chuckled.

"What's up, honey?" Bulma asked, sleepily.

"Nothing…go back to sleep."

Pan moaned as she felt a wave of heat flow through her. She arched her back and pushed herself hard against Trunks as they came together, neither realizing that they left bites on each other's neck and shoulder, effectively marking one another as mates.

* * *

And now it's relatively safe again!

Trunks practically collapsed on Pan, both were out of breath.

"Well, it's been a while…" he said, laughing.

"Wow…."

"Good?" asked Trunks

"I can't believe I haven't done that sooner." Pan said. "Of course, then it probably wouldn't have been with you."

Trunks rolled over on his back and Pan sat up.

"Were you really surprised that I was a virgin?"

"Well yeah…look at you."

Pan looked herself over.

"Um…?"

"You're strong, funny, smart…and you're beautiful. I…" Trunks just looked her in the eyes.

"What?"

"I'm head over heels for you, Son Pan."


	14. Chapter 14

Have a nice fluffy chapter!

* * *

It was still early, so the two drifted off to sleep for a few more hours. They woke up simultaneously to the smell of Bulma cooking breakfast.

'Smells good' thought Trunks

"Yeah it does"

Pan's stomach growled.

"Let's get a shower and then some chow" said Trunks, who began to make his way to the bathroom for a shower. He stopped for a second, about to say something, but dismissed it.

"Something wrong?" asked Pan

"Nah, I was just…." he stopped and pushed Pan's hair away from her neck.

"Whoops, that's gonna be hard to hide." was what came out of his mouth.

Pan looked in the mirror, then back to Trunks.

"You have one too…did I do that?"

Trunks blushed furiously.

"Yeah, you did…." he turned to Pan "We're mated."

Her eyes grew wide, she walked out of the bathroom to his room. Trunks followed right behind.

"Mated…are you serious?" she said, not really asking him

Trunks looked at her hesitantly.

"You didn't want this." he said, quietly

Pan whipped around

"What? No! Of course I did."

'I'm just afraid'

"Of what?" he asked

Pan's jaw dropped.

"I didn't say that out loud." she replied

'Wait what?' he thought, confused at what Pan was saying

"I said I didn't say that out loud" Pan repeated

"I didn't either" he said

They both stared at each other and started giggling.

'Is this?' she thought, testing out their new found ability

'Part of being mates? I think so.' he replied, mentally

They started laughing even harder. Each others thoughts kept pouring into their minds.

"Will we be able to control this eventually?" she asked

"I would think so."

"Well you know what I think?"

"What's that?"

"I think we need to get some breakfast" Pan said between gasps of breath

"Good morning you two!" said Bulma cheerfully

"What are you making?" Trunks asked. He tried to steal a bite but was hit by Bulma with a wooden spoon.

"You're as bad as your father! Wait until it's ready!" Bulma yelled, laughing.

Vegeta just glared at her over the top of the newspaper he was glancing over. He gave a quick smirk at Pan. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's so funny?" she asked, irritated

"Nothing at all…" he said sarcastically.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah really!"

Bulma and Trunks looked at the two. Pan was one of the only people, besides Bulma and her children, to pick fights with the Saiyan Prince.

"Whatever!" Pan quipped, puffing her cheeks out and leaning back in her chair.

After breakfast, the three Saiyans went out for training. It didn't last very long, Pan and Trunks were already partially tired out from the morning. Vegeta just sighed and dismissed them. He was feeling tired himself.

Trunks was going upstairs to get a shower when Vegeta stopped Pan in the living room.

"Hey brat." he said

"Whaaat?" she whined.

She turned around and immediately froze when she realized what Vegeta was doing.

He reached up and brushed her hair away from her neck.

"Um…I-I can explain." she started to stutter.

Vegeta put his hands on each of her arms, and did something completely unexpected.

He pulled her in to hug her.

Pan didn't know what to do. Then he spoke.

"I started to think my son would not find a mate." he said, emotion clearly in his voice.

He pulled away and briefly rested his forehead on hers.

"I want you to know, that over the past few months, I have come to think of you as one of my own. This just makes it official."

Vegeta gave her a pat on the shoulder and walked away.

Pan stood there for what seemed like ages, completely thrown off by what just happened.


	15. Chapter 15

Another short and fluffy filler chapter, with a heart-to-heart :)

* * *

Pan slipped off her clothes and got in the shower with Trunks.

"What took you so long?" he asked

"Oh, I was just talking with Vegeta." she decided not to tell him the whole truth for the moment

Trunks wrapped his arms around her waist.

"So are we going to continue our earlier conversation?" he asked

"Hm?"

"What you're afraid of." he said bluntly

"Oh….can we finish our shower first?"

Trunks rolled his eyes

"I didn't mean this second…and yes."

The couple sat down on Trunks's bed. Pan stared down at her feet for a while, before looking at her mate.

"I'm afraid we're moving too fast." she said suddenly

"I know that feeling…I mean, it's been all of 3 days now and we're already mated. I didn't expect it to be so soon. I guess it's meant to be."

"Is it?" she said solemnly.

Trunks looked at his partner.

'Oh Kami, what did I do' he thought, not realizing he projected this thought onto her mind

"Sorry…I didn't mean to say that" he said wearily. His thoughts betrayed his calm exterior

"You didn't do anything" she retorted

Pan took a breath and continued

"What if I'm not the right person? I mean, I'm fourteen years younger than you! Shouldn't you be with someone more…I dunno, experienced?"

"I think our bonding disagrees. Yes, you're younger, but we're Saiyans remember? We don't exactly fit into cultural norms."

Pan wasn't convinced.

"I don't want to ruin your life…"

Trunks had enough of the conversation. He pulled Pan into another hard, passionate kiss.

"Son Pan, you will never…I repeat, never…ruin my life. Ever since I laid eyes on you at that party, I knew I wanted you. Completely, with all the good and bad consequences that may result."

She smiled, feeling better than she ever had before. After everything that had happened, she finally found someone.

"I'm sorry Trunks, it is just a fear in the back of my mind. I haven't had the best luck with relationships."

Pan then hesitated, and a concerned look came across her face.

"What's wrong?" asked Trunks

"Speaking of bad consequences….how are we gonna tell my dad?" Pan said, sheepish

Trunks's eyes grew wide.

'Oh no, I didn't think of that…I'm so dead'

'It was nice knowing you Trunks'


	16. Telling Daddy

The moment of truth has come! Will Trunks survive this encounter with Gohan? DUN DUN DUNNNNN

Thanks for all of the reviews! I appreciate it!

Enjoy!

* * *

"WHAAAAAT?" came Bulla's high pitched scream. Vegeta sighed at his daughter and kept reading his paper over breakfast.

Pan and Trunks had decided to officially tell everyone about their relationship that day.

"No. Way! Pan?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Bulla was slightly annoyed but very happy for the couple.

"Yeah, Trunks? You couldn't even tell your own mother?" teased Bulma. She had a feeling about the two getting together since they laid eyes on one another at the party, but even she didn't really expect it so soon.

"Dad? Did you know?"

"Yes, it was only obvious." he said to his daughter.

"To you at least…."

"Well that was easy enough." laughed Trunks

"How are you gonna tell Gohan?" asked Bulma

"Very carefully!" Pan said cheerfully

"Oh, I'm sure he'll come around, your mother will make him."

While Pan and Bulla helped Bulma clean up, Vegeta spoke with his son.

"Well, where is it?" he asked

"What?"

"The mark…"

Trunks pulled his shirt down so Vegeta could see the mark that Pan left on his collarbone.

"Good."

"How'd you know?" asked Trunks

"Well, I already ambushed Pan, for one….also it was easy to know what was going on when you two don't have your ki under control"

Trunks blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm happy for you, son."

Trunks smiled, slightly surprised. He knew his father wasn't one for showing affection, but he had his moments. As long as no one else saw them.

The couple said their goodbyes and flew over to Pan's parent's house.

"Here we go." they said together, walking in the door.

"Mommm! I'm home!"

"Hey sweetie! How are you? Oh, Trunks! Good to see you, too." said Videl. She winked at him. Bulma had already given her a heads up over the phone.

Gohan snuck up behind Pan and gave her a big hug.

"Ahhh, papa! Put me down!"

"So what are you two doing over here?" Gohan asked

"I wanted to visit you, of course! I spend all my time at Bulma's…I miss you!" Pan replied to her parents.

Pan spent the rest of the morning telling her parents all about training with Vegeta, finally going Super Saiyan, and the incident that had happened at Capsule Corps.

Trunks and Gohan sparred a bit, though it was more like playing around.

"Anddd….? Was there anything else?" Videl asked, elbowing pan in the arm.

"Well…there was something we wanted to tell you." Pan squeezed her glass nervously, almost cracking it. Videl looked concerned.

"What's up, sweetie?"

Pan eyed her father nervously, then got up and stood by Trunks.

"Mom…Dad. Trunks and I, well a lot of stuff has happened recently."

Videl's face lit up, but Gohan was still oblivious.

"Ok…?" he started.

Pan sighed, it looked like she would have to come right out and say it. Trunks nodded at her and took her hand.

"Trunks and I are together, dad."

Gohan's face turned red.

"Whaaat?" he yelled

"Daddy, please!" Pan said quietly

"Since when?" he prodded

"A few days, although I guess it started weeks ago."

Gohan let out a loud sigh.

"That's it! You're coming back here, you don't need to be living with your….boyfriend." he said the word like it hurt.

"What?" Pan yelled, but Videl cut her off.

"Gohan, I don't think that's necessary. She's lived practically on her own for the last 2 years. I think she can decide for herself."

Gohan looked at Videl, then to Pan and Trunks, suspiciously. He crossed his arms and pouted, looking much like his father. He got up and put his hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Your mother's right. You're old enough to think for yourself, whether I like it or not. I just don't want to lose my baby girl."

"Papa…you're not losing me."

"I know sweetie." He hugged his daughter and pushed her hair behind her ear.

His jaw dropped.

"Dad?"

"What. Is. On. Your. Neck.?" he said through gritted teeth.

All Hell seemed to break loose.

"Trunks! Is that what I think it is?" yelled Gohan, grabbing Trunks by the shirt collar. Pan jumped forward, trying to stop her dad from hurting her mate.

Videl moved like lightning. She grabbed her daughter and set her down on the couch. Then she delivered a swift backhand to Gohan's head.

"SON GOHAN! What is wrong with you?" she screamed at her husband, "can't you see she's happy?"

"B-but, he's so much older than her!"

"Yes he is, but you know what else he is?"

Gohan didn't quite get it.

"A friend of yours! Someone you know and trust! Someone who understands our daughter and hasn't rejected her for being herself!"

Pan had never seen her mother like this. Gohan and Trunks loosened their grips on each other. Videl marched up to her husband.

"In case you forget love, we were the same age…." she said, pulling back her shirt collar to show the faint scar Gohan had given her those years ago.

Gohan looked remorseful.

"I don't particularly like it, but…I'm sorry Trunks…Panna." He gave his daughter a tight hug. She returned it.

"No hard feelings, Gohan?" Trunks asked, offering his hand to shake. Gohan took it, squeezing as hard as he could.

"Ow! Jerk! You did that on purpose!" the two half Saiyans glared at each other, grins on their faces.

Pan looked at her mother and shrugged.

Boys would be boys.


	17. Fear Her

They spent the rest of the day enjoying the fair weather. Pan and Videl made dinner together, something that Pan missed a lot since going away to college. She personally loved the bond she shared with her mother, one that most teenagers would detest.

As dusk settled on the city, Trunks spoke up.

"You know, Pan…you're birthday is in a few weeks."

"Oh wow, you're right! Time flies!" said Videl, her eyes lighting up at the thought, "Ooh! I'll have to get together with the girls. It is your 21st birthday after all."

"If you must…" Pan sighed loudly, joking with her mother. She wasn't one for huge parties but Videl had a point, 21 was a milestone.

"Oh boy, you excited?" asked Gohan

"More like scared!" said Pan

Pan and Trunks said their goodbyes and flew back off to Capsule Corps.

That night, Trunks had the most vivid dream of his life. He was laying on the ground, smoke and ash stinging his eyes. He sat up, but pain shot through his side, slowing him down.

The first thing he saw was Pan. She was hard to miss, even among the battlefield littered with debris and bodies.

She stood near him, her bright golden hair whipping about her as her eyes glowed the same color as her Super Saiyan aura. She looked fearsome, terrible….and yet, beautiful. Those golden eyes faded back to teal ones that came to rest on him.

His eyes snapped open and he shot up in bed. Looking around he saw that pan wasn't in the room. He could hear her in the hall whispering into her phone. Trunks pressed onto their mental link, only feeling panic and confusion. Standing in the doorway, he could clearly hear her speak.

"When…how?" she asked, fiercely.

Trunks could make out a man's voice on the other end.

"Is she ok? Oh no…I'll be right there!" Pan hung up her phone and turned around quickly. She jumped when she realized Trunks was there.

"Everything ok?" he asked sleepily

"No, that was Masaru. Nana has been in an accident, but he doesn't know any more than I do. I need to meet him at the hospital.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, no. You have to work. I'll be ok."

"Ok…" he kissed his mate on the cheek and went back to bed.

Trunks woke to his alarm clock a few hours later. Pan still wasn't in bed, but he could sense her downstairs. He got ready for work and headed down the stairs, not prepared for what he would see.

Pan sat there, motionless and staring into space. Her red and puffy eyes were the only thing revealing that she had been crying.

"Pan, honey, is everything ok?" Trunks ran to her side.

She looked at him mournfully, fresh tears running down her hot cheeks.

"Nanako's dead." she choked out.

Trunks held her while she sobbed uncontrollably. One of her best friends was gone, he could never imagine it. Pan pulled away, this time an angry look in her eyes.

"They said it was a car accident. I would have believed it but…" she took a few breaths and wiped her eyes, "there was a lingering energy trace on her body."

"Someone killed her? Do you know who?" Trunks asked, stunned.

Pan shook her head.

"I didn't recognize it, but it was similar to what I felt the day that…thing…attacked."

She was referring to the strange creature that had mysteriously appeared days before.

Trunks flashed back to that moment, then to his dream. Pan's appearance had been identical in both of them.

"Give me a moment" he said to a confused Pan. She could hear him calling work, telling them he would be late. He returned quickly.

"What do you remember from that day?"

"Well, I only remember that thing being inside my head. Everything else was a blur. I was so angry and just wanted it gone. I felt like I was on fire."

"And did you feel anyone else there?" he asked

"No…why?"

"I swore that day that there was someone watching us from the distance. I told dad, but he thought nothing of it."

"You don't think it was the same person who…" Pan couldn't get Nanako's name out of her mouth

"Maybe."

"But why?" came Pan's frustrated reply

"I don't know…and why try to make it look like an accident when you leave an energy signature behind?"

"Maybe they got careless…or didn't think anyone would notice." Pan mused

Trunks's face softened.

"Regardless, I promise you that we will find who did this. Now, do you want me to stay here with you?"

Pan gave a weak smile.

"No, it's alright. I'm going back to bed anyways."


	18. Chapter 18

A little bit of humor to lighten the mood!

Thanks a bunch for the reviews!

* * *

While at work, all Trunks could think about was Pan, his dream, and all of the confusion.

'Could those incidents be connected?' he wondered. He would need to talk about it with his father.

Trunks sighed as his secretary prattled on about meetings and funds. He wished she would shut up.

An idea popped into his head as she began practically screeching at him for not paying attention.

"Mrs. Ware, you know, you do a lot for me…." he started

"And cover your ass constantly" she said, raising a thin eyebrow and staring down her nose at him.

It was true, Mrs. Ware was a caring, although serious, woman. She constantly got on his nerves, but always was looking out for him.

"You deserve a lot more than having to deal with me on a daily basis. Why don't you take a paid vacation and when you get back we'll talk about a managerial position. What do you say?" he put on the most genuine smile he could.

"Better pay?" she asked

"Of course!"

'Anything to get you off my back and get someone more enjoyable.' he silently thought to himself

"I don't know what you're up to Mr. Briefs….but I don't care. You have a deal!"

"By the way, I'm taking the rest of the day off!" Trunks yelled from behind her as she walked away.

She threw a stapler at his head, her aim impeccable.

'I deserved that' Trunks whined, quietly.

"Did you just bribe your secretary?" came Marron's voice from the doorway.

Trunks laughed nervously

"You saw that?"

"Oh yes, it was quite comical" the blonde said, picking up the stapler and leaning on his desk.

"So, I heard something interesting from your sister. You and Pan, huh?"

"Yeah, it's a long story" Trunks replied, rubbing the back of his neck

"Woah-ho! Robbing the cradle much?" Marron said, a little too loudly

Trunks sighed equally as loud

She gave him a slap on the shoulder

"Oh calm down, I'm just joking. You two go great together. Now, go enjoy the rest of your day off!"

"I doubt that's gonna happen" he said, looking around, "one of her best friends was killed this morning."

"Oh my goodness! Let me come with you to keep her company….please?"

"Well…I am your boss….yeah, it will probably be good for her to see you and Bulla."

By the time the two got back the news had already gotten around. ChiChi, Gohan and Videl were at the house. Videl and Bulma were hovering over Pan, who was trying to convince them she was alright.

"By the Gods, give the girls some room to breathe!" came Vegeta's voice. That didn't stop Marron from hugging her friend tightly.

"Oh babe, I'm so sorry!" she cooed, stroking Pans hair.

"So now that we're all here..." began Gohan

"My son seems to think this is somehow connected to what happened a few days ago." butted in Vegeta.

"Possibly." cut in Trunks, "Whatever it was, it had the same or similar energy signature."

"Are you sure you saw someone?" asked Gohan

"Almost positive…but the energy is the only connection we have."

"Bulma, what were you working on that day?" asked Pan

"Well, I was working on the prototype for the time machine…." everyone's eyes rested on Bulma.

"Was that what blew up?"

"No, it's nowhere near functional, so there was no power connected to it." she retorted

"Was anything taken from the lab?" asked Gohan

"Well no….but." Bulma whipped out her laptop and began typing away

"Oh no…."


	19. Chapter 19

Hey guys! Just wanna let you know that I'm working on another story - Slowly Learning That Life is Okay - this one's about Vegeta and Bulma!

Go check it out if you're interested! Thanks! xoxo TheLadyRikku


	20. So It Begins

"'Oh no' what, woman?" Vegeta yelled at his wife

"Nothing was stolen, but the schematics and data on what little I had on the time machine were retrieved around the time of the explosion."

"A distraction." stated Vegeta

"Maybe, but what for? Is it even possible to get that thing working?" Trunks asked

"Theoretically, time travel is impossible, but it worked before." Bulma said

"So we have nothing" Pan asked

"Pretty much" said Trunks

"The only other connection is Pan." piped in Bulla

"What?" came everyone's reaction

"Well, think about it. Pan was there when the explosion happened and that monster attacked. Now one of her best friends is dead."

"It's a long shot, but we shouldn't count it out. We'll just have to be on the lookout for trouble." said Vegeta.

Since everyone was already at Capsule Corps, they all had dinner together that day.

"Sooo, Pan…" Trunks started, giving her an eager grin

"Ummm, yes?" came her suspicious reply

"How would you feel about having a job?"

"A job? Well, it's not like I'm doing anything around here except train. It wouldn't hurt."

"Good! Because I basically fired my personal secretary because I couldn't stand hearing her yap at me all day."

Pan and Bulma almost fell out of their chairs.

"You did WHAT?" they both yelled at him.

Nothing (fairly) unusual came to pass over the next few weeks. Pan became Trunks's new secretary, much to the chagrin of all of the other females working in the offices. Vegeta, Trunks, and Pan continued their training as usual. Bulma and the other girls started making big plans for Pan's birthday, which arrived all too quickly.

Pan's 21st birthday was tomorrow. Bulma and her mother were sneaking around all day making preparations.

'As if I didn't know' she thought, walking outside. Trunks and Vegeta were sparring in the yard.

"Hey, I need to get away from all of the estrogen in there…I'm going to go fly." she informed them

"Ok, just be careful! Contact me if anything happens!" Trunks said

"Geez, ok…dad" she said sarcastically, she knew Trunks worried about her but nothing was going to happen on a routine flight.

Pan took off, enjoying the feeling of the wind rushing through her hair and over her body.

'It's been too long since I've just flown around.'

She reached the outskirts of the city and then flew higher into the sky. She closed her eyes and reclined, looking like she was in an invisible armchair. It felt nice to be alone, as much as she loved Trunks and the other Briefs.

"What the hell?" screamed Pan, as a gust of wind nearly knocked her off balance. She looked around, but all was still now. Where had it come from?

She quickly turned around in time to block an energy blast.


	21. Saiyans

A strange man appeared in front of her.

"So, this is the brat we need to take care of? You don't look like much."

Pan didn't know him, but his appearance told her everything she needed to know. He was large and muscular with jet black hair and equally dark eyes. The brown tail wrapped around his waist was the deciding factor. A Saiyan.

"You're a Saiyan! But…how?" she proclaimed.

He answered her with a fist in her stomach. She rebutted by breaking his nose.

"Son of a bitch!" he screamed, his pride hurt more that his actual face.

"Why are you doing this?"

"That doesn't matter…just doing what I'm told" the Saiyan replied, as he set his nose back into place with a sharp crack. "You were pretty easy to find…of course, we had help."

He flew down towards the ground, Pan following close behind. As she landed, she looked up to see Masaru with two other Saiyans standing next to him.

"Masaru? Are you ok? Did they hurt you?"

"Oh no, I'm perfectly fine."

Pan looked at him, confused. The bells went off just in time for her to dodge the two other Saiyans' attacks. She vaulted into the air, easily evading them. As she looked down towards Masaru, she could see a grin form on his face.

'He led them here.' she said to herself

As much as she didn't want to harm other Saiyans, she knew they would not hesitate to kill her. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the fight.

She quickly distracted the first one, ramming an elbow into his broken nose. Spinning around, her foot connected with the second one's jaw. The third grabbed her from behind, but she swung her leg back into his crotch, and then slammed her head back into his face. She did this so quickly she was able to headbutt the other man in front of her without hesitation. Flying back, she launched a Kamehameha Wave straight through the first man's body.

'One down.' she thought, solemnly. She didn't relish killing, especially those from her own race.

The remaining two men charged at her but she easily dodged them. Pan flipped up into the air, swinging around hard and kicking one of the men in the face again. She powered up into a Super Saiyan and was about to throw a punch when a ki blast obliterated the Saiyan men, narrowly missing her.

It came from Masaru.


	22. Betrayal

"Hmph! Incompetent fools!" he spat

"You're a Saiyan." Pan said, more a statement than a question.

Masaru gave an evil grin

"Correct." he said, amused

"Unbelievable! You just killed your own men!" she said, bewildered by his actions

"Please, they were hardly important."

Pan landed in front of him.

"Why? Why would you do this?"

"It's amazing, isn't it? You're not even a half-breed like that…boy, and yet you're powerful enough to go Super Saiyan. You hybrid kinds are disgustingly fascinating. I've been watching you, all of you." he mused, avoiding the question.

"Why all of the secrecy? Why didn't you just make contact? You must have known Vegeta was here."

"Oh we knew that our 'prince' was here. He's hardly that now, hm? "

"So are there other Saiyans with you?"

"Yes, but they are gone now." Masaru said nonchalantly

"What do you mean they're gone? Why would they leave without yo—"

A horrible realization struck Pan.

"You killed them." she said blankly

Pan could hardly contain the anger in her voice, she already knew the answer.

"I wanted to stay behind with my sister, see what had happened with Vegeta and the other surviving Saiyans on Earth. When I found out they had bred with you inferior beings, I told them we must eliminate you all. They disagreed. I killed them once we were back on Earth, your precious Nanako had no clue."

"You monster!" she shrieked at him, "you killed all of them, how could you!"

"BECAUSE THEY WERE WEAK! PATHETIC AND SYMPATHETIC TOWARDS YOU FILTHY MUTTS! EVEN MY SISTER!"

Masaru powered up drastically, launching ki blasts that Pan could barely dodge.

'He's powerful! I can't handle this on my own!' she thought, now remembering her mental link with Trunks.

'Trunks! I need you!'

Back at Capsule Corps, Trunks heard this like she was right beside him.

"Dad, Gohan! Something's going on with Pan! She's…fighting someone."

Gohan launched himself into the air as fast as Trunks could blink. He went to follow when his father spoke.

"Trunks, stay here."

"What? Why?"

"Because there's enough emotion with Gohan going after her. Stay here and watch over your mother and sister. I'll go."

Pan kept dodging Masaru's attacks; she knew she'd be no use against him in a one on one fight. Suddenly he tossed a large energy blast towards her.

'I need to get out of here now!' she screamed to herself in her head, barely dodging the blast.

'Wait!'

Pan put her index and middle fingers on her forehead, trying to use the technique that Goku had taught her years prior.

'Come on, Pan. You have to be strong enough to pull this off now!'

But she was too late.

Masaru tackled Pan hard to the ground, knocking her clear out of her Super Saiyan form. His hands closed tighter around her neck as she struggled to get out of his grasp. He was too strong.

"And here it is… what, too weak to fight back now? Filthy human, how can you even call yourself a Saiyan?" Masaru shrieked at her.

Pan's world started to go black as she struggled to breathe.

'Out of all the ways…this is how I'm gonna go?' she thought frantically to herself.

Suddenly she felt his weight come off of her. Pan heard her father's voice as she sputtered and gasped for air.

"Pan? Baby girl can you hear me?"

"Papa" she croaked, her throat burning with each syllable.

She glanced around and saw Vegeta standing off against Masaru. As Pan had begun to black out, he had blasted Masaru off of her.

"Papa…Vegeta…I'm so sorry."

"Shhh, all that matters is that you're all right." Gohan said calmly. He looked towards Vegeta.

"Get her out of here, I'll take care of this brat." came his answer

"Vegeta…he's…a Saiyan…" Pan struggled to speak. She saw Vegeta nod before she finally went under. Gohan lifted her and flew off back towards the city.


	23. Celtuce

Thank you everyone for having patience! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Masaru picked himself up out of rubble that was once the rocks he'd landed in. He glared at Vegeta.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before others arrived. You're kind of late, though your entrance is hardly favorable." Vegeta practically spat at him, "Please, indulge me as to why you're trying to kill my family."

"Family? How could _you_, the prince of all Saiyans, call _them_ your family? Half breeds? And the girl isn't even that."

"Things change, our planet and people are gone. We remnants did what we could to survive."

"Survival? Ha! Great races fall into extinction. I would rather die alone as the last true Saiyan than live with you abominations."

"Who are you?" Vegeta simply asked

Masaru looked at him with disbelief, but answered.

"I am Celtuce, son of Malabar. His father was one of King Vegeta's generals."

"Yes, I remember him. But Malabar? He was a scientist working towards freeing what was left of our race from Freiza."

"Hmph, and see where that got him? An early grave. "

Vegeta changed the subject.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say it was you who took the plans for the time machine?"

Masaru scowled.

"A fruitless endeavor. I thought I could get it finished, but even with all of my father's equipment and data, I couldn't. It matters not."

'I see.' thought Vegeta, then he spoke

"Please, Celtuce. We are the last of our kind! You should join us!"

"No, we are a warrior race. We die in battle!"

He launched himself at Vegeta. The elder Saiyan dodged at the last second, grabbing the other's arm and wrenching it behind his back. Masaru screamed, more out of rage than pain. He lunged forward, tearing out of Vegeta's grip. The two traded blows for what seemed like hours.

'Damn, he's stronger than he looks.' Vegeta thought, but he ended the stalemate with a swift kick to Masaru's face.

He stumbled back, but grinned.

"Well, Prince" he spat, "it seems that this is going nowhere. I know when I am beaten, for now." He stepped farther away, then flew off as fast as he could.


End file.
